Donald Trump has said his administration must focus its crackdown on immigration by targeting “illegal aliens” in the the largest US cities, as the White House cools on raiding farms amid a backlash from the agricultural sector and other vulnerable industries.

The US president posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that to achieve his goal of “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History”, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers needed to “expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside”.

The pledge to focus the anti-immigration clampdown on big cities follows reports that the administration was pausing raids on farms, hotels and restaurants amid a backlash among industries that rely on foreign workers.